Stiffening portions of the uppers of shoes



Jan. 18, 1944. Q R. c. JOHNS 2,339,435

STIFEENING P ORT IONS OF THE UPPERS 0F SHOES v Filed Jan. 10, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 18, Q JOHNS 2,339,485

STIFFENING PORTIONS OF THE UPPERS 0F SHOES Filed Jan. 10, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F 5 I i g 51 17711111 IIIIIII 111/111 111 111 (Lil Patented Jan. 18, 1944 STIFFENING PORTION S OF THE UPPERS OF SHOES Raphael Clay Johns, Melrose, Mass, assignor to The Celastic Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application January 10, 1942, Serial No. 426,292

9 Claims.

This invention relates to the stiffening of portions of the uppers of shoes, the forming of ornamental openings in said stififened portions if desired, and to the resulting shoe; and is herein set forth in connection with the stiffening of the toe portions of uppers.

According to the invention, as applied to the stiffening of the toe portion of an upper, the stiffening member consists of two parts. One of them is a stiffening strip which may be treated with a softening agent, caused to adhere to one of the layers of the upper, for example the toe tip, the toe portion of a full-length vamp or the lining, andallowed to harden, after which the layers are fastened together'except at their forwardportions.

The stiffening strip occupies a locality where the curvature of the last towhich itis to be conformed is such that it is capable of being conformed to the last without being resoftened throughout its whole extent. The other part of the toe stiffening member, termed for convenience a toe stiffener, which-is capable of being-softened by the same agent as is used to soften the strip and is preferably made of the same material as that of the strip, is softened and inserted in the toe end of the upper just before the pulling-over operation, with the rear margin of the toe stiffener overlapping the forward margin of the stiffening strip; and the two become bonded together when pressure is applied during the conforming of the upper to the last. Such a procedure is particularly desirable when ornamental openings, such as cut-outs or perforations, are to be provided which extend through a stiffened .part of the upper. In such cases the ornamental openings may be made through the stifiening strip and a part or parts of the upper to which said strip adheres after said strip has hardened and before the toe stiffener portion of the stiffening member is put in place.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which the toe portion of an upper is shown in process ofbeing stiifened and provided with an ornamental opening:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a toe portion of an upper comprising a vamp and a lining having between them a stiffening strip, said vamp and lining being cemented together except at their toe ends which are free, the location of the ornamental opening, in this case a cut-out, being indicated by dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal median section of a portion of a last with an insole and a portion of an assembled and cut-out upper mounted upon it ready to have the toe stiffener of Fig. 3, rendered limp and sticky by proper treatment and inserted between the toe ends of the Vamp and the lining;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the toe stiffener which, with the strip, forms the two-part stiffening member;

Fig. 4 is a view from the underside of a toe tip adapted to be attached to the toe portion of the full length vamp of an unlined shoe, a stiffening strip being shown adheringto the rearmargin of the tip, ornamental openings in the form of a row of perforations having been made through the strip and the tip;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal median section like that of Figure 2, but showing mounted upon th last the forward portion of an assembled upper consisting of a full length vamp having stitched to it the perforated toe tip of Figure 4; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective of a toe stiffener which, I

with the strip, forms the two-part stiffening member.

In the stiffening of the toe portion of an upper, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, there is provided a two-part stiffening member comprising a stiffening strip 5 of a material such, for example, as fabric impregnated with Celluloid which may be rendered limp and sticky by treatment with a solvent such as acetone, and a short toe stiffener 1, made of the same material, the strip being skived along what will be the lower face of its forward margin when it is in placein-the upper of a shoe, and the-toe stiffener being skived along the upper face of its rear margin, as indicated at 9. The rear edge of the stilfener is preferably curved as shown so that, when in the shoe, the wings of the stiffener will extend to an extent around the ornamental opening or cut-out I5.

lfhe stiffening strip 5 is rendered "limp and sticky by treat-mentwith a solvent for the Celluloidand is placed upon the hidden side of the vamp H, or it may be upon the lining i3, in the locality where the cut-out I5 is to be made, and allowed to become hard. The vamp II' and lining l3, one of them, preferably the vamp, having the stiffening strip bonded to it, are cemented together up to a locality forward of the desired cut-out but leaving the toe endsfr'ee. The cutout l5 may now convenientlybe made through the vamp, the stifienin'g strip and the lining. It should be understood that, although the cut-out is preferably made in a single operation at this stage of the putting together of the parts of the upper, it could be otherwise accomplished. For example the cut-out could be made in the vamp before the assembling with it of the stiffening strip or the lining, the remaining layer or layers being cut out afterwards. The vamp, the strip and the lining are stitched together around the edge of the cut-out if the cut-out has already been made, or around the locality of the cut-out if the stitching precedes the cutting out. The vamp, the stiffening strip and the lining, preferably with the cut-out made and the stitching extending around it, are attached in the usual manner to the rear part of the upper to make what is commonly called an assembled upper ready to go to the lasting room, where said upper together with an insole I1, and usually a counter stiffener, is mounted upon a last and delivered to the pulling-over operator who treats the toe stiffener I with a softener, inserts it between the toe end of the vamp and that of the lining, with the rear margin of the stiffener overlapping the forward margin of the stiffening strip, and conforms the forepart of the upper to the last. The softening agent carried by the toe stiffenersoftens the forward margin of the stiffening strip so that the two are firmly bonded together by the pressure exerted during the pulling-over operation. The stiffening strip is comparatively thin; and due to this thinness and to the fact (1) that it is bonded firmlyto the upper material, and (2) that the curvature which it must be made to take is a simple one compared to the compound curvature of the toe end of the last, it is caused to conform to the adjacent surface of the last without being further softened. The rest of the manufacture, including the attaching of the outsole, is carried out in the usual manner so that there results finally a shoe having a stiffened portion through which a cut-out extends.

In Figures 4, 5 and 6 there is shown a full length vamp 5| and a toe tip 53 which is attached thereto by two rows of stitching 55 and thus forms one of the layers of the laminated upper, such a construction being commonly employed, for example, in the manufacture of unlined work shoes. The stiffening member may consist of a stiffening strip 51 and a toe stiffener 59, both of the same material which has been described above, the forward margin of the strip being skived along its forward under side and the rear margin of the toe stiffener being skived along its rear upper side so'that, when the margins are overlapped, no appreciable increase in thickness will result. The strip is also skived along its rear upper side so that its rear edge will not show to any appreciable extent in the finished shoe.

In the manufacture of the shoe, the stiffening strip 51 is softened, caused to adhere to the rear margin of the tip 53 and allowed to harden. The tip with the strip attached may then have the ornamental openings, in this case the perforations 5!, made in it if desired. The tip, with the stiffening strip attached, is then stitched to the vamp, for example, by the two parallel rows of stitches 55. The ornamental openings may be omitted and replaced or not, as may be desired by other ornamental work such for example as embossing or stitching. In any case, however, the upperwill be stiffened back to the rear line of stitching. The vamp is attached in the usual manner to the rear part of the upper to form What is commonly called a closed upper ready to go to the lasting room where said upper together with an insole is mounted upon a last and delivered to the pulling-over operator who treats the toe stiffener 59 with a softening agent, and inserts it between the toe tip 53 and the toe portion of the vamp 5| with the rear skived margin of the toe stiffener overlapping the forward skived margin of the stiffening strip 51, and conforms the upper to the last. The softening agent carried by the toe stiffener softens and renders sticky the forward margin of the stiffening strip so that the two are firmly bonded together by the conforming operation.

Although the invention has for convenience been explained in connection with the stiffening of the forepart of an upper and as being carried out in a certain order of steps, it should be understood that the invention is limited in the scope of its application neither to the stiffening of a particular part of an upper nor to a particular order of steps.

Having thus described the invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The method of stiffening a portion of the upper of a shoe, said method comprising providing a two-part stiffening member including a stiffening strip and a stiffener adapted to form an extension of said strip, said strip and stiffener being capable of being rendered limp and sticky by treatment with the same softening agent and of becoming hard when said agent is removed, softening the strip, attaching the strip and allowing it to harden, softening the stiffener, incorporating it in the upper with one margin of the stiffener overlapping a margin only of the strip so as to form an extension thereof, and conforming the upper to a last.

2. The method of stiffening a portion of the upper of a, shoe and of forming an ornamental opening in said portion, said method comprising providing a two-part stiffening member including a stiffening strip adapted to stilfen that portion of the upper where the opening is to be located and a stiffener adapted to cooperate with the strip and to stifien an adjacent portion of the upper, said strip and stifiener being capable of being rendered limp and sticky by treatment with the same softening agent and of becoming hard when the agent is removed, softening the strip, attaching the strip to one of the layers of the upper in the locality where the opening is to be made, providing an ornamental opening which extends through the'strip and the layer to which the strip i attached, incorporating the softened stiffener in the upper with a margin at one end of the stiffener overlapping an oppositely located margin of the stiffening strip so as to form an extension thereof, and conforming the upper to a last.

3. The method of stifiening the toe portion of the upper ofa shoe, said method comprising' providing a two-part stifiening member of material which can be rendered limp and sticky by treatment with a softenin agent, said member comprising a strip adapted to stiffen the rear part of the toe portion and a toe stiffener adaptedto stifien the forward part of saidportion, soften ing the strip, pressing it upon one of the layers of the pperhin a locality spaced from the toe end of the upper and allowing it to harden, fastening the layers of the upper together leaving the toe ends free, softening the toe stiffener,

placing it between the toe ends of the layers.

with its rear margin overlapping the forward margin of the stiffening strip so as 'to soften said forward margin and form an extension thereof. and pressingthe two margins together by conforming the forepart of the upper to a last.

4. The method of stiffening the toe portion of the upper of a shoe and of forming an ornamental opening in said portion, said method comprising attaching the vamp to the lining with a strip of hard but softenable material between them which includes in it the area in which the opening is to be made and extends to a locality spaced from the toe ends of the vamp and lining, making the opening, inserting between the forward ends of the vamp and lining a toe stiffener the rear margin of which overlaps the forward margin of the strip, said stiffener being soft by reason of the presence therein of an agent which will soften the material of the strip, and conforming the forepart of the upper thus prepared to the forepart of a last.

5. The method of stiffening the toe portion of the upper of a shoe, said upper comprising a vamp member and a, lining member, and of forming an ornamental opening in said portion, said method comprising attaching to one of said members of the upper in position to extend over the area through which the opening is to be made a stiffening strip comprising hard but softenable material, cementing the two members together to a locality forward of the desired opening, making the opening through the two members and the stiffening strip, inserting between the toe ends of the two members a toe stifiener the rear margin of which overlaps the forward margin of the strip, said toe stiffener being soft by reason of the presence therein of an agent which is also capable of softening the material of the strip,

whereby the overlapping margin of the strip is softened so that the strip and the toe stiffener will be firmly attached when pressed together, and so pressing them together by conforming the forepart of the upper to a last. i

6'. The method of stiffening the toe portion of theupper of a shoe and of forming an ornamental opening in said portion, said method comprising attaching to the hidden side of the vamp in position to cover the area through which the opening is to be made a stiffening strip comprising hard but softenable material, applying a lining to the vamp with a coat of cement between them which extends forwardly of the locality of the desired opening, making the opening through the vamp, strip and lining, inserting between the forward ends of the lining and. the vamp a toe stiffener the rear margin of which overlaps the forward margin of the strip, said toe stiffener being soft by reason of the presence therein of an agent which is also capable of softening the material of the strip, whereby the overlapping margin of the strip is softened so that the strip and toe stiffener will be firmly attached when pressed together, and so pressing them together by conforming the forepart of the upper to a last.

7. The method of stiffening the toe portion of the upper of a shoe, said upper including a fulllength vamp and a toe tip, said method comprising providing a two-part stiffening member consisting of a stiffening strip and a toe stiffener capable of being rendered limp and. sticky by treatment with the same softening agent, softening the strip, applying it to the rear margin of the toe tip and allowing it to harden, fastening the toe tip to the vamp by stitches which pass through the stiffening strip, inserting between the toe tip and the toe portion of the vamp a toe stiffener the rear margin of which overlaps the forward margin of the strip, said toe stiffener being soft by reason of the presence therein of the agent which is also capable of softening the material of the strip, and conforming the upper we last.

8. The method of stiifening the toe portion of the upper of a shoe, said upper including a fulllength vamp and a toe tip, said method comprising providing a two-part stiffening member consisting of a stiffening strip and a toe stiffener capable of being rendered limp and sticky by treatment with the same softening agent, softening the strip, applying it to the rear margin of the toe tip and allowing it to harden, forming an ornamental opening through the strip and the toe tip, fastening the toe tip to the vamp by stitches which pass through the stifi'ening strip, inserting between the toe tip and the toe portion of the vamp a toe stiffener the rear margin of which overlaps the forward margin of the strip, said toe stiffener being soft by reason of the presence therein of the agent which is also capable of softening the material of the strip, and conforming the upper to a last.

9. A shoe, the forepart of the upper of which comprises a vamp and a two-part stiffening memher, the two parts of which each consist of a porous absorbent base impregnated with the same stiffening substance which is cementitious when softened with a solvent, one part of the stiffening member consisting of a strip which forms the rear end portion of the stiffening member and the other part consisting of a stiffener which forms the forward end portion of the stiffening member, the rear margin of the stiffener being cemented to the forward margin of the strip by the stiffening substance, and the remainder of the stiffener being also cemented to the vamp by the said stiffening substance.

RAPHAEL CLAY JOHNS. 

